Executive Coaching

Executive coaching focuses on the goals and priorities of both the executive and the institution. It is leader-driven and action-oriented.

Executive coaching is designed in a way that benefits both the leader and the institution. Therefore, Academic Search believes executive coaching should be approached from a systems perspective and in the context in which the leader is leading.

We believe that leadership is learned through ongoing practice, reflection, action and assessment. Thus, leadership always occurs in a particular context, leads to action, and has an impact to be evaluated.

Leading colleges and universities today is both noble and daunting work. We created our Executive Coaching Practice based on this philosophy so that presidents and senior leaders have professional and qualified leadership companions and guides on the leadership journey. We are committed to the effectiveness, sustainability and well-being of new and incumbent presidents and senior leaders. We believe that both the interiority of leaders and the exterior demands of institutional leadership are complementary.

LEADER-FIRST APPROACH

Executive Assessment

Executive Coaching

Executive Transition

Executive Team

ACADEMIC SEARCH ADVANTAGE

What distinguishes our Executive Coaching Practice is that all of our executive coaches:

Are seasoned higher education executives who have faced the gifts and tasks of institutional leadership;
Are trained executive coaches through either Academic Search’s unique and rigorous executive coach training program, an International Coach Federation approved coaching program, or both;
Adhere to the Professional Code of Ethics of the International Coach Federation and the Association for Coaching; and
Rely on the best available executive coaching research and practices of the Institute of Coaching affiliated with Harvard University.

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THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

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Linda A. McMillin

Senior Executive Coach
Linda.McMillin@academicsearch.org

Dr. Linda McMillin spent more than three decades in higher education teaching, leading, and mentoring. By serving as a Senior Executive Coach with Academic Search, she continues her mission of serving students and helping colleges and universities perform at their highest levels.

For nearly 33 years, Susquehanna University was Dr. McMillin’s home. During her time there, she served as professor, provost, dean of faculty, and co-chief operating officer and worked alongside nearly every executive staff position. This experience has given her ample insight into the duties and challenges of senior leaders. As a Senior Consultant and recruiter for Academic Search, she works effectively with search committees to apply this knowledge to assemble deep and diverse candidate pools.

The Southern California native earned her bachelor’s degree in theology and English from Loyola Marymount University. She went on to receive a Ph.D. from the University of California Los Angeles in history, and in the years following, she published widely on medieval religious women. Dr. McMillin has also written extensively about faculty professional identity and higher education administrative practice.

As Provost and Dean of Faculty, Dr. McMillin had a vital role in hiring more than two-thirds of the Susquehanna staff—an accomplishment that laid the foundation of the school’s long-term development to ensure its prosperity. She led the development of the school’s learning goals and its innovative Central Curriculum, which provides students with the opportunity to gain new perspectives and acquire critical skills that benefit them in their careers. She believes student success should always be a school’s focal point, and as a senior consultant, she continues to impact students by facilitating successful hires.

Dr. McMillin received an American Council on Education Fellowship and participated in the Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership. She is also a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, and she is especially proud to assist in the development of exceptional leaders in higher education. Her experience in coaching and mentorship gives her a unique perspective on the recruiting process of a search, as it allows her to gauge potential candidates’ strengths, their interest in the position, and the likelihood that they’ll thrive if selected with precision.

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